Year 5's trip to The National History Museum

 What an absolutely brilliant day Year 5 had on their trip to the National History Museum! From the moment we set off, it was clear this was going to be an adventure of cosmic proportions.

• Our journey began with a smooth and enjoyable ride on the train and tube. We were so incredibly proud of the children's impeccable behaviour. In fact, members of the public went out of their way to comment on how wonderfully behaved and respectful our students were – a fantastic start to our day!

  

  Upon arriving at the museum, we were immediately launched into the wonders of their space exhibits. The children were captivated by the vastness of the universe, eagerly exploring displays about our solar system. Their curiosity was truly ignited, and it was fantastic to see them engaging so enthusiastically with all the fascinating information.

  

  
  

  The absolute highlight of our visit was undoubtedly the Mars Rover workshop with the brilliant scientists from the museum.

  
  
  
  

• 'I enjoyed the trip so much! When I was in the exhibits I learned that the sun's gravitational pull is a lot stronger than the Earth's.' - Harry 

• 'It was fun making a Mars rover out of lego and testing it by coding it. I learned that Mars does not have the right atmosphere for humans to live there' - Angel 

• The scientists explained that rovers are our "robotic eyes and hands" on Mars, designed to:

  • Search for signs of ancient life.

  • Study the climate and geology.

  • Prepare for future human exploration.

  The children learned that Mars is a harsh environment with rocky terrain and extreme dust storms, which means rovers need special adaptations. Inspired by this, our young engineers used LEGO and coding software to build and program their own vehicles.

  They had to think critically about which adaptations their rover needed:

  • Claws and Drills: To collect soil and rock samples from beneath the surface.

  • High-Resolution Cameras: To act as the rover's "eyes" and navigate safely.

  • Reinforced Wheels: To climb over large craters and jagged rocks.

  The excitement reached its peak when the children tested their finished rovers on a simulated Mars surface. Watching their code come to life as the rovers successfully navigated the "rocky" terrain was a moment of pure scientific triumph!

  It was a day filled with inspiration, teamwork, and out-of-this-world learning. Well done, Year 5!

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